Saving Grace

Twigs snap under my feet, no matter how much I wish to step silently. My breath turns to fog as it leaves my lips, the cold December air creeps under my cloak looking for exposed skin. I hear a distant shout from behind me, to the west I think, they've found my trail.

My feet begin to move faster, the branches beneath me cracking like bones with every step, my breath, now ragged as my chest heaves from both the cold and from running. Running for my life. The shouts behind me get louder, I have to do something, anything. They can't find me.

I stop running and listen. Eyes closed and ears straining I hear water, a stream or a river, it might be enough. I spin in the direction of the sound and run towards what I hope is body of water large enough to hide my tracks. maybe if I head upstream, I can circle back t-no that’s stupid. Get across the river and find somewhere to hide.

I was so busy thinking I did not see the low hanging branch that caught my hair and ripped at my face. Blood. If they find this, the dogs will have me for sure. The panic in me rose. I was running out of time. I kept pushing forward through the debris and bracken of the woods. The stream appeared almost as if by magic, and I let out a small sob of relief. You're not safe yet. I couldn’t risk my cloak getting wet, it would be too heavy and I needed it for warmth when I found somewhere to hide, quickly undoing the clasp I slipped it over one arm as I began to wade through the water to what I hoped was safety on the other side. Holy hell, that’s cold. The icy water seeped into my shoes like thousands of tiny ice needles being pushed into my skin. Fear set in I’m going to die. If they don’t catch me, the weather will kill me. I'll never survive out here. Branches crashed behind me, pulling me from my thoughts, I had no time to feel sorry for myself, I had to move. Now.

Steeling myself I plunged deeper into the river, using rocks along the way to stop myself from being carried by the current. The other bank was in sight now, just a little bit further and I could scramble up to the woods. My feet gave out, my body being swept downstream. Dammit! I flung my cloak to try save it from the water and grabbed on to a tree root protruding from the rock face. Using it to my advantage I was able to pull myself out of the water and clamber my way up on the side of the bank. The stones falling and breaking under my fingers as I desperately tried to pull myself over the edge. My body was tired, and cold, and wet, and I'd been on the run for so long. One more night isn’t going to make a difference. You can sleep later. Get moving. I wanted to scream as I put all of my strength into heaving myself upwards and over onto the grassy riverbank. Not stopping to catch my breath I pushed myself up to my feet and looked around for my cloak. I couldn’t leave it behind it was too much of an indication to my direction. I followed the river bank up to where I thought I was before I fell and saw the sliver clasp in the moonlight, quickly and carefully I picked my way down to water edge, retrieved the clock and headed back the way I’d come. That was a hound. They found my blood. They were too close. I needed to hide and I needed to do it now. As quietly as I could I slipped into the tree line, pushing further into the woods. The howls grew distant then grew quiet. Still, I carried on, quickly picking my way through the forest, careful of any loud or sudden movement.

As the night began to turn to dawn and my eyes became so heavy it hurt to keep them open, I found myself in a small clearing. It seemed so peaceful so quiet. The perfect place to sleep, even if it was just for an hour, or at least it would have been were it not for the owl that watched my every move. Large talons. Hooked Beak, mostly white from what I can see and crested face. It's only a barn owl. I can’t kill me, at least I'm pretty sure it can’t. Its eyes soaked up the last bits of moonlight at we stood staring at each other. The longer I looked, the calmer I felt, almost like I'd dreamed the whole thing. There was no one out to get me, I was not being hunted for simply existing. I could sleep and when I woke it would all be okay. I was pulled from the moment from a snap of branches directly behind me. I felt like everything was in slow motion, I whipped myself round towards the sound of the noise to see them stood not even 200 meters away. A mass of black and glints of gold from the armour they wore. The dogs sniffing and snuffling at their feet. My breathe caught, but yet they made no move towards me, instead turning to walk away. I stood so still I am not sure I was alive. They can’t see me. I slowly turned to look at the owl, still perched in the same place, its eyes still on me. How can this be? The owl suddenly turned its head to the side, my eyes following. One of the men, they were walking towards me, they could see me! The owl moved, so fast it was like a flash in the corner of my eye, the screech emanating from its entire being. The soldier stumbled and I took my chance, cloak flaring behind me I sprinted across the clearing into the thicket of trees, I heard him shouting for the others.

Above me I could hear the wings of the Owl beating, glancing up I saw it was flying low, its wings a steady beat, sending that calming feeling through my body again, my racing mind slowed. Looking ahead I saw a fork in the path, veering for the left, I pushed myself as fast as I would go. The loud hissing and sound of snapping filled my ears, I turned to look to see the owl at the start of the opposite path, facing towards my pursers, it’s bill snapping together; its wings beating heavy, as the sun had risen, the white parts of the owl looked like freshly fallen snow, it’s brown back had a shimmer to it, almost making it look bronze. It was beautiful and majestic, and still hissing. I don’t know why, but there was something about that bird. I took off, glancing only slightly to see how close I was to my death, all I saw was torches, and then all I saw was smoke. I didn’t stop running.

The sun rose higher, my steps grew slower, the owl still above me, would grow impatient when I faltered or moved too slow. ‘I give up okay?’ I say quietly to myself. ‘There’s no point anymore.’ the floor beneath my feet changed at some point, I no longer walked on forest floor but on gravel. I looked up to see a building in the distance. The owl stopped, beating its wings towards the building, but something was different from the way it had done it in the clearing or on the road. ‘What is it? Is it danger?’ The owl looked at me, and gently lowered itself to sit on my shoulder. I guess not. I walked, so tired and unable to run, the building came into better view and the owl pushed off from my shoulder and flew to circle the roof. It's a barn. Of course, it’s a barn.

I pushed my way through the slight gap in the doors, it was empty. Clearly hadn’t been used in a while. There was hole in the roof, and sun was momentarily blocked out as the owl came flying through it, only to land and perch on a cross beam. I stood looking at it, the sun glancing off of it, again I saw a shimmer, all around it. I must be so tired I'm seeing things. I bet the owl isn't even real. Walking over to a corner near the back of the barn I collapsed against the wall. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do, I just needed a little sleep and then I could keep moving. ‘Never stop, that’s what I was told.’ my throat burned, I needed water, but it could wait I was too tired and cold to even think about moving now I was on the ground. ‘Once they come for you, they never quit.’ I looked at the owl again, its eyes on the barn door, almost like it was guarding me. ‘You saved me, didn’t you?’ I didn’t get any kind of response, not that I was really expecting one. As my eyes drifted closed, I heard myself say quietly, ‘maybe. Just maybe, you’re my saving grace.’